IMAGE: David Warner during his match-winning 90 off 59 balls against the Mumbai Indians at Hyderabad. Photographs: BCCI

Watching David Warner celebrate after the final, one understood how much the Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper will cherish this long-awaited triumph.

The Aussie tornado hit 9 fifties -- the most in the tournament.

After the team lost its first two games, Warner scored an unbeaten 90, 74 not out and 59 to contribute to the hat-trick of victories that followed.

From then on, there was no looking back for the Aussie left-hander as he accumulated 90, 46, 52 and 73 to guide SRH into the play-offs.

Warner saved his best for the last two games, smashing 93 not out and 69 off 38 balls in the Eliminator and final respectively.

His captaincy was the game-changer for SRH. The power-hitter showed remarkable leadership skills to guide a young team to a well-deserved title.

Virat Kohli, Royal Challengers Bangalore

Inn: 16. Runs: 973. HS: 113. Ave: 81.08. SR: 152.03. 100s: 4. 50s: 7

IMAGE: Virat Kohli hits a six in IPL 9.

The Indian run-machine was only 27 runs short of becoming the first batsman to score 1,000 runs in a T20 competition.

Such was Kohli's dominance that players from rival teams were in awe of him.

'Dear Virat Kohli, can you please stop making batting look so easy; it's embarrassing for most other batters in the world,' Gujarat Lions batsman Aaron Finch -- a big hitter himself -- tweeted after one of Kohli's spectacular knocks.

A maiden IPL title may have been elusive for King Kohli and his team, but Virat did enough to win hearts.

When the chips were down for RCB in the Qualifier against the Gujarat Lions, the South African bailed out his team from a precarious 68/6 by hammering 79 not out.

Awed, Kohli hailed AB as the 'best batsman in the world.'

AB's electrifying fielding in the deep and some splendid catching played a crucial part in his team's progress to the final.

Yuvraj Singh, Sunrisers Hyderabad

Inn: 10. Runs: 236. HS: 44. Ave 26.22. SR: 131.84

IMAGE: Yuvraj Singh seemed to have got back some of his mojo.

Absent for the first part of the tournament, his name in this team will surprise many. But tell us how many players can boost an ordinary team?

Yuvi not only strengthened the Sunrisers middle-order, he contributed on the field with crucial run-outs, the one in the Eliminator standing out.

Despite not scoring a single half century, his 23-ball 39 against the Mumbai Indians, unbeaten 42 off 24 balls vs the Kings XI Punjab, 44 off 30 in the Eliminator (the highest score in the game) and 38 off 24 balls in the final were all crucial in maintaining the momentum for the Sunrisers.

Watto may have failed with the bat, but his bowling put him third in the wickets column.

With Kohli struggling with a depleted RCB bowling line-up, the 37 year old stepped up, making full use of his experience.

His last over heroics with the ball to seal a one-run victory over the Kings XI in a do-or-die game and his 4/29 in the crucial Qualifier against the Gujarat Lions were the highlights of RCB's bowling.

Not to forget, his superb relay catch against KKR that had social media raving.

His presence renders much-needed balance to this side.

Krunal Pandya, Mumbai Indians

Inn: 9. Runs: 237. HS: 86. Ave: 39.50. SR: 191.12. 50s: 1

Wkts: 6. BB: 2/15. Eco: 7.57.

IMAGE: Krunal Pandya hits a six against the Delhi Daredevils.

A bolt from the blue!

Krunal Pandya was the highlight of an otherwise dismal season for defending IPL 8 champions Mumbai Indians.

Krunal announced his arrival by dismissing A B de Villiers and Virat Kohli in quick succession in a game against RCB, then showed his batting power by cracking a quick-fire 86 runs against the Delhi Daredevils.

Krunal's strike-rate (191.12) is the highest in IPL 9.

Andre Russell, Kolkata Knight Riders

Inn: 12. Wkts: 15. Eco: 7.97

Runs: 188. HS: 39 not out. Ave: 26.85. SR: 164.91.

IMAGE: Andre Russell celebrates a wicket.

The man is tailor-made for T20s. He can open the bowling and clock 140-plus on the speed machine, and explode with the bat to finish the innings on a high.

Russell once again showed why he is revered by KKR fans.

With 188 runs and 15 wickets in the season, he was by far the best all-rounder in the tournament.

His four-for against the Kings XI Punjab gave KKR a crucial win and cemented their place in the play-offs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sunrisers Hyderabad

Innings: 17. Wkts: 23. BB: 4/29. Ave: 21.30. SR: 17.2. Econ 7.42

IMAGE: Bhuvneshwar Kumar's bowling in IPL 9 was stunning and made many ask why he didn't play a single game in the World T20.